


Precious

by subspacecommunication (nattherat)



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Alien Biology, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Illustrated, Multi, suffocation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-03
Updated: 2014-10-03
Packaged: 2018-02-19 18:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2398457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nattherat/pseuds/subspacecommunication
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Deep Space Nine is a Cardassian station, and when the system reverts to the default settings, all non-Cardassian and non-Bajoran life forms are left fighting for their lives. Faced with a sudden unexpected and unfair reminder of mortality, certain residents find their perspective shifting somewhat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Precious

**Author's Note:**

> Set during season 2!

“That's just it, I can't work out the problem for the life of me!”

 

Only an hour into the day, and she could tell it would be a long one.

Kira Nerys bit back a smart retort, looking around at everyone assembled at Ops. O'Brien was bent almost double over his console, and Dax swam from display to display, pressing purple tips to the screens with no result. Odo was inspecting one of the numerous small suspicious devices that had been recovered from one of the cargo transfer bridges, devices that they hadn't found the purpose nor the owner of.

Kira ran the back of her hand over her forehead in exasperation, trying hard to glare at the console rather than O'Brien. She really didn't have time for this today. Before her, the computer displayed numerous lock-out displays, and she could swear it was taunting them. Sisko emerged from his office looking between them and joining Kira at the command table.

 

“What's the problem Major?”

 

“We've tripped some Cardassian wiring  _again_ ,” she explained, her hands flying to her hips. “That or someone else has. We have _no_ idea!”

 

“All we do know is the computer's acting like there's a hostile takeover,” O'Brien followed, still tapping at his console with frustration. “It's locked us out of everything. Something's activated a database sweep, and the entire system is sifting through it's own files - I can't tell what it's looking for.”

 

“Can you restore control?”

 

“I'm trying to Commander-”

 

A loud ominous click interrupted them, and they exchanged confused glances. Kira clenched her fists in annoyance, scanning the command table readouts to see if anything had changed, had given any indication of the situation. Nothing.

 

“...Right. I'll open her up.”

 

Nerys swallowed down a frustrated sigh, giving up on the console and standing up straight again to address Sisko whilst O'Brien pulled off one of the panels. Turning to the Commander though, she felt an uncomfortable sense of having repeated her actions before, and her eyes were beginning to experience a dryness that was familiar in some way.  _Great_. Just great. Because that was exactly what she needed, to be  _more annoyed_ , thanks to remembering the stifling artificial atmospheres the Cardassian Occupation had brought with it.

She met Commander Sisko's eyes and felt a gut-wrenching moment of clarity. His expression mirrored her own, though slightly less focused, and as if to confirm their fears, a hiss previously undetectable became louder and louder.

_Life support._

 

“B-Benjami-!”

 

Kira whirled around on the spot, feeling her stomach sink at the sound of Jadzia's distressed voice, watching in shock as Sisko lunged forwards to catch Dax. Her long body, normally serenely floating around them, became a dead weight as the atmosphere in Ops changed, and she heaved with the effort of trying to breathe. Sisko wasn't faring much better, struggling to regulate his breathing as he held Jadzia up.

Nerys found herself frozen – just for a moment, a horrible eternal moment - as the gravity of her colleagues suddenly  _beginning to die_  of no just cause permeated her skin.

Just for a moment.

Then she slammed her commbadge, barking orders to the station's personnel.

 

“All hands, all visitors, this is Major Kira. All non-Bajoran and non-Cardassian life forms proceed  _immediately_  to the nearest air supply station.”

 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw O'Brien yank another panel from the wall, pulling out masks and canisters frantically. His movements quickly became less coordinated, and Kira jerked her head in his direction to Odo, who stepped up to the Chief's station swiftly. There weren't enough hands at Ops. Weren't enough Bajorans. Weren't enough people who could breathe to help those who couldn't.

 

“All unaffected personnel lend a-assistance-”

 

“B-Ben...”

 

Dax was running out of time. The dread in the pit of Kira's stomach grew more intense and she swore,  _not giving a damn if it carried over the communications channel_ , leaping over the command table to help.

 

“It's okay, it's okay,” Sisko repeated weakly, barely still conscious. Kira caught his eyes between flickers, and they both knew how dire the situation was. Jadzia thrashed between them, the lack of breathable air causing her to convulse violently in an attempt to move somewhere, anywhere, where she might survive. Kira pulled at them both desperately, the weight of two large life forms just too much even for her strength. Looking back over ops, she could see Odo struggling with O'Brien, trying to fit a breathing apparatus he'd never been trained to fit before, then beside her she felt Sisko drop to his knees, his strength finally gone.

 

Was that it?  _Was that really it?_  They were going to lose everything because of some  _Cardassian computer problem?!_

**Author's Note:**

> Um hopefully that was enjoyable/intriguing! Next chapter, if I manage to stop feeling so awkward about my writing, will be Bashir and Garak!


End file.
